This Food Scientist Has Tips On How To Pig Out This Festive Season Without Gaining Weight

We were totally planning to ditch the diet plan, abandon the exercise regimen, and let it all go this holiday feasting season, as per every festive period. What's the point of restraint, you think. Just stuff your face, drink up a storm, and enjoy. Worry about the extra pounds later, right? There's always the whole of January to get back in shape before Chinese New Year. But then we attended a cooking event hosted by 28-year-old Indonesia-born, Australia-based scientist Dr Vincent Candrawinata, who developed dietary antioxidant supplements called Renovatio activated phenolics, touted as the world’s most powerful antioxidant. He told 8 DAYS that the rate of people dying of heart attacks during the holiday season was higher than usual, due to all the rich food, as well as the stress of the holiday season. Yikes. He also gave us a series of tips that make sense and don't seem that hard to follow. So this holiday season, we're going to try not to mindlessly let it go and over-indulge, only to regret it later. So, cheers to a healthier Christmas and New Year? Here are the tips.

1/7

1/7

#1: Plan, plan, plan — If you know you're going to have a heavy dinner, go easy on lunch.

According to Vincent, it's all about planning. "If you know you're going to have a Christmas Eve dinner and a Christmas Day brunch, skip desserts and sweet treats for the rest of the week." Likewise, have a light lunch if you're planning to whack the ham, turkey and log cake later that evening at your annual Christmas blow-out. Another tip from the good doc: Instead of serving sweet soft drinks to your guests, how about trying fruit water? Chop up some fruits and put them into unsweetened soda water. Some apple, lemon and mint in soda will still feel festive, minus the extra calories. After all, up to 65 per cent of the calories you consume is actually in the form of drinks, especially alcohol.

(Pic: Apple Crumble Pie, which is delicious and not too sweet, with an added boost of antioxidants in the form of a teaspoon of Renovatio Activated Phenolics Powder. Recipe in the next few slides!)

2/7

2/7

#2: Portion control. You're not as hungry as you think. You're probably just thirsty.

"Portion control during the festive season is easier than you think," Vincent tells us. "With everyday meals, portion control is actually harder as it's usually just two or three dishes, and it's easier to go for seconds. But with festive feasts, it's four or five dishes, so if you just take a bit of everything, it will be substantial. Go for proteins first — these will signal to your brain that you're full more quickly. With carbs like potatoes, your gut doesn't tell your brain that you're sated. This dates back to our hunter-gatherer days, where meat was hard to come by, and when people ate just carbs like potatoes, their bodies will tell them they aren't getting enough nutrients. After proteins, go for salad, and eat the carbs as a side along with the greens. Leave space for dessert, 'cos during festive meals, you'll always have dessert, even if you're too full."

Another great tip to remember when you're craving for more: "Fifty per cent of the time when we're hungry, we're actually thirsty," says Vincent. "Drink a glass of water, have a chat, and you'll feel full. Wait for your brain to receive the signal."

3/7

3/7

#3: For every glass of alcohol you drink, drink a glass of water.

Basically, cut down on the alcohol. "Alcohol makes portion control harder. Your brain is in happy mode. But you don't have to be boring and not drink. For every glass of alcohol that you drink, have a glass of water. That way, you can actually continue drinking till the end of the night without getting drunk."

4/7

4/7

#4: Stay active during the festive season.

Yes, it's hard. No one wants to hit the gym on Christmas Eve or while they're on holiday. But according to Vincent, if you just wake up a little earlier and go for a jog or a walk to kickstart your metabolism in the morning, you will actually burn more fats throughout the day. Sounds good, right? Apparently, you'll be surprised at the significant different it can make.

5/7

5/7

#5: Help your body deal with all the extra food with a dose of antioxidants.

Of course Vincent, who's the world’s youngest PhD holder in the field of food science and human nutrition, is going to plug Renovatio, his antioxidant supplements featuring activated phenolics, which are 12 times more powerful than regular antioxidants and purports to increase our body’s cellular activities, leading to health benefits such as increased energy, a better digestive and immune system, better recovery from illnesses and relief for those suffering from joint pain and arthritis, and even weight loss.

He tells us, "Especially if you know you are doing to be eating more during the festive season, taking activated phenolics will aid with digestion, so you don't feel so bloated and full. It also helps to detoxify alcohol from your body, if you take it before drinking or even immediately after. I don't want to promote it too much as a hangover remedy but I've been told it really helps."

And if you've eaten way too much and want to recover, Vincent recommends a cleansing programme after the festivities. He has come up with something called the Renewal Diet, and will soon be launching a book to help folks with healthy weight loss. It's basically a six-day programme where you take activated phenolics powder, follow a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, eat at the right time and space out your meals by eating every four hours instead of constantly snacking.

Renovatio currently has three products: Activated Phenolics Powder ($72), An Apple A Day Activated Phenolics Tablets ($42 for 30 tablets) and APSKIN Face Cream ($49), which protects and regenerates skin at the cellular level. They are available online at www.biovida.com and at healthcare retailers including Supernature, That Health Shop, Glory Bee and Nutrimax Organic.​​​​​​​

6/7

6/7

Lightning Fast Marinated Grilled Chicken

During a media event to promote healthier eating during the festive season, Dr Vincent Candrawanata shared a few recipes for Christmas. You may want to try them. You're welcome!

METHOD1. Pre heat oven to at least 220°C.2. Line a cookie or baking sheet with aluminium foil and baking paper.3. In a small bowl mix all the dry spices, along with Renovatio Activated Phenolics Powder.4. In a large bowl put in the chicken pieces, coat with oil then mix in the spices.5. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.6. Put in the oven for at least 15 minutes, turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes to get a bit of a crust forming on the outside of the chicken.7. Squeeze some lemon or lime juice before serving.

METHOD1. In a food processor or in a bowl, mix all the dried ingredients of the pie crust with the butter until it resembles coarse wet sand.2. In a bowl mix the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of water, add this mixture into the crust mix and work with it to form a dough. If it is too dry, add more cold water, a little at a time.3. Roll the crust into the size of your pie dish (around 20-25 cm diameter).4. If the dough is too warm, chill it first.5. Pre heat the oven to 180°C.6. Use a fork to dock the pie dough creating tiny holes to prevent the crust from raising.7. Bake the crust until golden, approx. 7-10 minutes.8. In the meantime, in a pot, mix all the filling ingredients except for the 100 grams apple. Cook until bubbly. Then mix in the 100 grams apple. If you use cinnamon stick, take it out.9. Lightly brush the bottom of the baked pie crust with egg white, this is to prevent soggy bottom.10. Put in the cooked filling.11. Mix all the crumble ingredients.12. Top the pie with the crumble mixture.13. Bake in a preheated 180°C oven until the crumble is golden.14. Cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.